A friend of a friend can sometimes be exactly the person you need, especially if that person happens to have a kidney you need.

That is what happened to Louise Sach from Abbey Wood when her friend Kai Addams got her in touch with her pal.

Louise, 29, was diagnosed with chronic kidney failure when she was only eight years old, and spent her childhood travelling back and forth to Great Ormond Street.

At the time her kidneys were functioning at around 30 per cent, which was enough, but once she finished university suddenly the situation became dire.

Friends and family came forward for tests to see if they were suitable donors but unfortunately none of them came up with a match.

Louise posted about her plight on Facebook in January early this year and that is where her friend Kai stepped in.

Kai acted as the missing link between Louise and Kayleigh Wakeling, 32, who runs her own home-based holistic beauty salon, who was willing to give up her spare kidney.

Remarkably the two turned out to be a perfect match and, as the preparations for the operations began, the two became incredibly good friends.

Louise said of her two friends: “I cannot express the level of thanks I feel for being given my life, energy and smile back. I feel alive in ways I have only now truly felt for the first time”.

The operation took place on June 1 and was a success, with both girls now recovering at home, with Louise going to Kayleigh’s place for beauty treatments.

They will be supporting the London Bridges Walk on July 1 to raise money for Kidney Research and to mark their one month ‘Kidneyversary’.